The luster and lore of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team began to take shape in the late ‘40s with a group of athletes now fondly remembered as “The Fabulous Five.”
Led by legendary head coach Adolph Rupp, the nickname refers to the 1947-48 basketball team consisting of forward Wallace “Wah-Wah” Jones, guards Ralph Beard and Cliff Barker, center Alex Groza, and point guard Kenny Rollins.
The Fabulous Five was the first UK basketball team to win an NCAA national championship (the first of eight, with the last being the 2011-12 team under coach John Calipari). They ended the season winning 36 of 39 games.
“I think the Fabulous Five had a lot to do with revolutionizing the game of basketball and making it more popular on a national basis,” said longtime Kentucky sports journalist Billy Reed.
After the season, the Fabulous Five made up one half of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Summer Olympics basketball team. Rupp served as the assistant coach of the team.
The following season, ’48-49, saw Kentucky win another national championship, though Rollins was no longer on the team.
Through the years, other fan-favorite Kentucky teams have assumed memorable nicknames, such as Rupp’s Runts in 1965-66 and the 1991-92 “Unforgettables.”
In 1991, the University of Michigan men’s basketball team was dubbed “The Fab Five,” which left some Kentucky fans, and former players, a little incredulous.
“It’s just a shame that Michigan tried to horn in on it, as the Fab Five,” said Wah-Wah Jones. “Every time somebody says something about that team, I say, “Well, they weren’t the Fabulous Five.”
